Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill

Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill, GCSI, GCIE ( born February 19, 1869 Rome, Italy, † July 7, 1935 ) was an English nobleman and diplomat. His international reputation is connected with his position as a founding member of the International Olympic Committee.

Russell was born in Rome at Palazzo Chigi, which is the seat of the Italian Prime Minister today. He was the son of Sir Odo Russell, at that time an unofficial representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Vatican. His education was Russell at Eton College and Oxford University, where he graduated in 1892 as Bachelor of Arts.

In his study time Russell was an active athlete. In particular, he distinguished himself as a rower and as such took part in several races of various college teams, of which the Boat Race is probably the most famous race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

The combination of Russell to Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, is in darkness. Coubertin was working to spread the Olympic movement by highly placed people as many different nations of the world. Russell was at that time an emerging athletic and interested contemporary, who was appointed in 1895 private secretary to the Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain. In July 1894 Coubertin published the list of the first members, which should represent the IOC. On this list was also Russell, the title that the title of Baron Ampthill led since August 25, 1884 after his father had passed away.

Coubertin, put the emphasis on rank and reputation of the members selected by him, should have undoubtedly seen in Russell a suitable person for his own purposes. However, in retrospect Coubertin expressed disappointment of his two British representatives on the IOC, Arthur Russell and Charles Herbert. 1897 Robert Stuart de Courcy Coubertin called Lafan for the United Kingdom to the IOC. Russell, however, retired in 1898 as already the third of 13 founding members after Mario Lucchesi Palli - and Demetrius vikelas again.

The political and diplomatic career of Russell remained unaffected by this resignation. In 1900 he was appointed Governor of Madras. In 1904 he was Governor General and Viceroy of India for a short time. He actively participated in the First World War, then held a series of honorary offices and was carrier of senior Order of the British Empire.